Coincidences
by Tindersticks
Summary: Ryoma, not an ordinary girl. Hyoutei,  Rikkai,  Seishun. Her family. Not ordinary people. They collide. It's safe to say, what happens during and after the collisions are anything but ordinary, especially with a few extra 'ingredients' added into it.
1. There She Is

… **Okay. So this is what I like to think my best work so far. I'm trying to keep everybody IC and stuff, some personalities I used according to the many great fanfics I read. FemRyo, pairings undecided.**

**I think Silver Pair is CUTE. **

**Disclaimers: Kizuna is not mine. It is Kazuya Kamenashi/Kat_Tun's. Prince of Tennis is strictly UN-MINE AS WELL.**

Heads were turning as a girl walked by them, hair flying gracefully behind her back.

She had large, cat like eyes with an unusual color – golden, to be exact. She had elfish ears and her lips were set in a straight line. There were specks of light green in her eyes if you looked closely enough. Her hair was at her waist and it was a natural forest green. Blue and light green streaks ran through them.

She had a slender figure, though it was obvious she was an athletic one. Her slim arms hid the muscle underneath, and her calloused fingers moved to brush the hair out of her face.

She was carrying a large tennis bag, and it was obvious her clothing was not to her preference. The light dress was white and there was a black rose near her chest. There was a red and green tint to it, skillfully blending in with the white. It was long sleeved and there were ruffles at the cuffs. Her shoes were blue high heels that lightly hit the ground and left every time she took a step.

On her left wrist, she had three watches; one to tell the time in Japan, the other America, and the last Korea. An arrogant, cocky aura wildly danced around her form, signaling the awakening of a sleeping lion.

This girl's name was Echizen Ryoma. She honestly didn't like all this attention.

When she was a boy, she had females stalking her, paparazzi and news reporters barricading her house.

When she was back to female, she had men lining up for her hand in marriage and the paparazzi and news reporters were still barricading her house, asking while all her male family members quit tennis. Samurai Nanjiroh, the Demigod of the courts, and now the Prince of Tennis, they all retired.

They got the facts all wrong. The Prince of Tennis was actually the Princess of Tennis, although it has not yet been revealed. The conference, held in America, brought shock to the entire world.

Nanjiroh and Ryoga had then decided she needed to have a real life as a regular school girl. ["You don't have to join the tennis club, you know. There are many other things you're good at – for example, baking or cooking. GOD I love your cookies!" Ryoga had squealed.]

That's what they had wanted to do – until she went to a party and they played the wrong game and the wrong dare was made. So now Ryoma had to cross dress yet again. She actually didn't mind, though, since the boy's uniform is a LOT more comfortable. Unfortunately, they could only submit her to either Hyoutei or Rikkaidai, much to Nanjiroh's dismay. He wanted his 'baby girl' to go to the school he went to.

So here she was, going to Hyoutei.

Originally, Ryoma had wanted to wear more comfortable clothes – her cap, a random shirt, and khaki pants. Rinko and Nanako freaked out when she came downstairs – and forced her into this. They didn't even think it through when they both pushed her out of the house and slammed the door.

She shook her head, reaching the tennis courts, and noted the equipment was of the most advanced technology, the most modern one, and some things that had not even been published to the world yet. Some tennis players were practicing tennis, but the regulars weren't there.

Ryoma rolled her eyes. "Gotta work into the innocent, shy girl, now, huh?" She 'shyly' shuffled over to an unoccupied boy and tapped his shoulder. He turned around and blushed at her beauty, falling right into the trap.

This boy was Ichita Tarou. He was one of the very few shy students of Hyoutei, and was not able to gather the courage to cheer for the team, so he had instead went to the courts to practice. When this beautiful girl asked him where the regulars were, his heart sank. 'Of course… All the girls want to talk to regulars so much they don't pay attention to the non-regulars…' But his timid manner forced him to smile weakly. "Oh, you're looking for the regulars? They're at a tournament, sorry…" Tarou said. He expected her downcast look.

Ryoma sighed. So they weren't here, huh? Now she couldn't see what the Hyoutei regulars were made of. Well, this was obviously a rich school. Lucky for her, she chose the correct player to ask. He was not bold and arrogant, nor stuck-up.

"Do you want me to tell them your message?" Tarou asked through his teeth. He secretly prayed she would decline, though that was not very likely. "Daijobu desu. [It's okay; I'm okay, something like that.] I can come here later on, when they're back." Her answer surprised him – the fangirls would usually shove something at him for him to give to their worshipped person, usually Atobe. 'Well. She's different, at least.'

Now she was bored. Ryoma didn't want to go all the way to Kanagawa to see Rikkaidai – what if they're busy, too? She scrunched up her face in displeasure. Today was not a good day. "You. What's your name?" She asked, using a cold tone. There was no need to continue on being a shy fangirl – the act is useless since she doubted the non-regulars would be sharp enough to detect the similarities if she decides to go to Hyoutei.

Tarou was quite surprised but her sudden sharp tone. "E-eh? My name? Ichita Tarou…" "Mm. Mine's Echizen Ryoma. Remember it well, remember who you've helped, and that person will help you when you are in need." She murmured quietly, though loudly enough for only him to hear. His eyes widened and he covered his mouth, staggering back. There was a lot of Echizen Ryoma's in the world. Few had golden eyes and natural green hair. "You… you're… You're…!" Ryoma grinned, using her deep boyish voice. Her eyes danced around with mischief. "Good, you've recognized me. Now that you have, I trust you to keep my secret until the day I reveal it personally to the world."And it was then and only then when Tarou felt as if he had a reason to be here after all.

Ryoma honestly had NO idea why she gave her secret away to a random stranger – perhaps it was because of pure curiosity of the reactions. Perhaps it was his eyes – they were stormy gray and had the teeniest bit of green in them, though most of his feelings will be expressed through them. She somehow knew he'd be a secret-keeper, even if he was tortured. Then she left.

The other tennis regulars were curious now. They ran up to him, asking who she was.

It wasn't like she was some everyday person – almost every non Hyoutei student went to the school for the regulars and she had left, content with a non regular.

Tarou, on the other hand, still could not absorb the information given. What? The Prince of Tennis, her? A girl? What had been going on? Sure, he had been extremely saddened and shocked by their sudden withdrawal – now all of the prodigy family had retired. Not a Samurai, Demigod, or Prince. They were his dream, and now the person he wanted to be the most had just appeared in front of him – as a girl?

It was just too much to bear, and all the noise was making his sudden headache get worse when he reached his limit. He passed out. "O-oi! Ichita!"

The girl smirked, now care freely strolling around Tokyo. Her meeting with Tarou had put her in a good mood, but that doesn't mean she wasn't hungry. Good thing Rinko had stuffed some money in her tennis bag. Ryoma stopped by a small booth selling food, and was pretty surprised when she saw a girl with extremely long braids and her friend who was persuading people to buy their cold desserts – it was, after all, summer.

Tomoka, the loud one, grinned when a pretty girl their age stopped by to buy something. "Our first customer, Sakuno-chan! Isn't this great? It hasn't even been 30 minutes since the booth was opened! That means our business will be a success!" She chattered excitedly.

Sakuno giggled at her friend's enthusiasm. "Ah, Tomo-chan, we mustn't forget about our customer!" She reminded her. Tomoka stopped mid-sentence and nodded. "Oh yeah! Welcome! What would you like?" She asked, her enthusiasm now aimed towards pleasuring the beautiful girl. Her eyes then noticed the tennis bag and her squealing exceeded the maximum amount. "You play tennis? Oh my gosh! That's great! Do you know of Seigaku? Our tennis regulars kick tennis butt, you know." She boasted.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow at the brags. Was Seigaku seriously that good? "Tezuka-senpai, our buchou, is the best! He's better than anybody else without a doubt. Fuji-senpai's next – kyaaaa! His eyes are sooo magical – you'd need to see them to believe me. Inui-senpai is the data collector – nothing can win against his data! Unless it's Fuji-senpai or Tezuka-senpai, of course." The pigtailed girl went on boasting about Seigaku's regulars. They actually seemed pretty interesting – especially Tezuka. She has heard of him in America. "Excuse me, this Tezuka-senpai of yours, do you think I could meet him sometime? He seems to be a really good player." She asked, not bothering with a sweet tone.

Sakuno's heart swelled with pride when her customer praised her dear Kunimitsu – nii. "He is, isn't he, Tomo-chan?" Tomoka squealed. "Of course! The absolute best! I bet even the Samurai Nanjiroh or the Demigod can't beat him! Oh, what if they retired because they heard of his great deeds and were afraid?"

Her good mood had dropped drastically. Sure, she had a perverted brother and father, and sure, they're always ignoring her. But it was also true she treasured them dearly and anybody who insults or talks bad about them will not be left alone. Ryoma narrowed her eyes, looking at Tomoka in the eye. "You. I don't care about this Tezuka-senpai or whatever if you're talking about Oyaji and Aniki this way. [Dad and brother, basically.] They most certainly did not retire because of him, and if they did, I'd be disgusted." She glared.

Sakuno felt the little bubble of pride burst and now she was a bit irritated. Sure, Tomoka did go a little overboard with the boasting, but that didn't give her a reason to say things like that about Kunimitsu-nii! She used all the courage she could muster and tried to keep her voice firm and steady. "A-ano… I apologize for Tomo-chan's rudeness, but that does not g-gives you a right to talk about him like that, a-and you shouldn't g-glare at her like that, e-either." Her voice gave way at the end when the icy gaze was now aimed at her.

"Oh? You want me to apologize now, huh, Ojou-chan [Little Miss… I think]? Fine. I apologize to your friend, and Tezuka-senpai. Happy now?" Ryoma said coolly, throwing the tennis bag over her shoulder. They heard rattles and Sakuno's keen ears allowed her to know that the things in there were more than just tennis rackets – there were weights, as well. Heavy ones.

She did not know how to reply to the straight-forward and blunt apology. It was simply not expected. She timidly tugged the edges of her skirt, biting her lip. What was she supposed to say now? "Y-yes… T-thank you for the a-apology…"

"Good. Now I expect your friend to apologize, too." She did not stop with the sharp tone.

"Eh? What for?" Sakuno asked, taken aback.

"For insulting the Samurai and the Demigod, people I cherish."

Tomoka was fuming. Sure, this girl seemed so mature and adult, but that did not give her a reason to be so mean to her friend! She glared at her with all her might, and started shouting out a string of the worst words she knew, trying to break that cool attitude. Like heck she'd apologize! She was just stating the facts! Who did this girl think she was?

Sakuno, on the other hand, was quite puzzled. Cherish? Was she that big of a fan? But most wouldn't use cherish, they'd be going crazy by now and jumping at Tomoka for saying such a thing. She immediately stopped that thought. 'Don't be silly, Sakuno, not all girls would be like that! Baka, baka, baka! [Stupid, Idiot, Fool, etc.]'

An eyebrow rose. An amused smirk. Ryoma was now sure today was a great day. When Tomoka was out of breath, she looked at her, and was infuriated to see how calm she still was. "Done? Can I order now? I'd like an orange sundae."

"Orange sundae?" Sakuno repeated, and then it clicked. "Oh! Yes, coming right up!" She shuffled to the back, and her friend whined. "Sakuno-chan! Can't I add something poisonous or something?" "No, Tomo-chan, you may not. She's our first customer and she's still ordering despite the trouble we've caused her." She sulked, glaring once more at Ryoma, who, in turn, smirked.

"Mada mada dane," She muttered under her breath. When the sundae was done, she promptly paid for it and left, content with what she had just done.

'I didn't kill them or anything even when they insulted Oyaji and Aniki, so that means I must be in a super good mood. Hm. Should I go to Rikkaidai…? But still, I'd rather not since their regulars might be there and if so, then my secret would be given away and I'd have to treat Aniki to that sushi store I saw nearby. Come to think of it, this is Tokyo. Huh. I still have some money left, so should I check out their food? But wait – if I go to Rikkaidai right now and the regulars see me, and I attend Rikkai as a boy, wouldn't I be recognized as the Prince of Tennis already?' Ryoma's thoughts went off-topic constantly as she lightly sang the lyrics to _**Kizuna**_ by Kazuya Kamenashi.

Since she was so absorbed in her thoughts, she did not notice the rowdy bunch of boys in the store when she opened the door.

"Mamushi, give me some of that!"

"Get it yourself, peach butt."

"What? I told you to give me it!"

"HEY! You wanna start?"

"Heck, why wouldn't I?"

"Momo! Kaidoh! Stop fighting!"

"…. Eh?" Ryoma looked up and saw a bandana-ed boy arguing and fighting with a broom head. An egg-head was frantically trying to calm them down while a brunette was chuckling, amused at the scene. Another brunette was desperately trying to get the two to stop fighting in his family's store – it drove away customers. Meanwhile, a Neko {Cat} was bouncing all over the place, stealing food from trays that weren't even his or his friends'. A tall boy wearing eerily opaque glasses was grinning rather eerily and scribbling quickly in a notebook. His glasses flashed in the sunlight eerily. The last, oldest looking male she noticed was standing in the corner, raising his glasses. He had an intimidating and commanding order – one of those people you just had to obey.

"Tezuka?" She asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, there was silence and everybody froze in place. Heads turned to look at her. The Neko was the first to speak. "EEEEHHHHH? YOU KNOW TEZUKA? Masaka – {Don't tell me, it can't be, etc.} you're his girlfriend?" Then broom head shouted as well. "WHAT? Tezuka-buchou has a girlfriend? That's can't happen, it just can't. He's too much of a rock!"

*Twitch*

*Mutter*

*Laugh*

*Scribble*

Tezuka stood still, waiting for his friends to quiet down. He sighed. Why was he even captain of this rowdy team, anyway? Then again, he wouldn't trade them for any other team, but they can at least have a bit of self-control.

Honestly, what were they, 8 year olds? They should know not to jump to conclusions by now! They were 17 for Lord's sake! {A/N: In my story, the previously seniors were 17, juniors 16, freshman 15. So Ryoma is 15.} Well, most of them were, anyway.

"Everybody, silence this moment!" He commanded. When they all ignored him, Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Ho? So they wanted to play misbehavior, huh? Well he'll just have to ruin their fun. That is, until the girl that called his name earlier tapped him on the shoulder lightly.

"So… Who're these people, Tezuka?" She asked him informally, as if they had known each other since childhood. He sighed. Seriously, people these days, even the ones he never knew, have become rather rude. Still, he'd be impolite if he just ignored her, and so he replied, "They are my team mates from Seishun High, immature though they are. Please excuse their rude behavior. You are?"

Ryoma looked at him in surprise. Then something clicked. "You don't know me, do you?" He shook his head and she scrunched her face in displeasure. "I don't think I should tell you yet, but Oyaji went to your school. Seigaku, I mean. And he was the Samurai of Tennis. Put two and two together to figure it out." With that as her closing, she walked over to order some food.

Tezuka twitched. "**30 LAPS AROUND THE BLOCK, NOW!" **He roared. Everybody had their limits, and he had his. Sure, sure, limits were there for you to surpass, but who cares? Right now, he was displeased and so they shall run for their rudeness.


	2. Two Down, A Lot More To Go

**NEW CHAPTER~! I'm surprised so many people liked this. O.O**

**Disclaimer: … Erm… Erm…. D: If Prince of Tennis was mine, which it's not, then I'd have Silver Pair canon, and Ryoma as a girl, and Sakuno as a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR character since I adore her. So sorry all Saku-haters~! **

… **I'm gonna get the timeline ALL MESSED UP. BEWARE. This shall take place when Shishido got booted off the regulars and Taki took his place. I will also mess up a lot of stuff having to do with the anime/manga, especially since I haven't read/watched it in so long, so all comments that say something about the time being messed up here I will kindly tuck them into bed. And I also messed up what happens after it. OKAY, THIS THING WILL BE ENTIRELY FICTIONAL, ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN IT THAT HAPPENED IN THE MANGA/ANIME WILL BE CHANGED. **

… **One more thing…. About Hyoutei regulars being in the tournament? Kindly ignore that because it just contradicts with this setting. I know, I'm making everything complicated, but after a while, it will all make sense. **

… **I tried to change a lot of things and still make it seem relatively interesting, but I guess I failed. D:**

Ryoma tilted her head to the side as she slowly walked out of the shop. "O…kay…" She shrugged, looking around for a place to eat peace. She aimlessly went into a random direction. Her instincts and feet seemed to know where they were going, and that's when she saw a park in a secluded area. No living being was seen. "Perfect. A place where nobody will be there to disturb me."

At least, that's what she thought until she heard the sniffling. Of a male. Ah, the many things that happened to her today. She looked at her food, then the direction the sniffling was coming from. Food, sniffle. Food, sniffle. Food, sniffle. Foo – "Oh whatever. If I go to him, then today will be a lot more amusing, right? Right. And then I'll have a better time and not get as annoyed by Aniki and not be punished by Kaa-san. {Mommiieee} So it's like breaking two metal bars with one bare hand." Having decided that, Ryoma hid her food behind a big bush and half walked half ran to what she decided was a crying boy.

"…" She could only stare when she saw an almost fully grown male, probably at age 16 or 17, curled up in a ball behind a tree. He had long hair, tied up in a ponytail that was a blackish brown. His head was inbetween his knees, hiding his face from the world. He wore a white t-shirt that was all dirt and shorts. Bruises and cuts and scars were all over his arms and legs. '…?' Was all that popped into her head.

Ryou couldn't believe it. He wasn't a regular anymore. Not. A regular. Someone named Taki replaced him. "I'm not a regular anymore." He repeated countless times, as if his mind still refused to believe reality. Then a stream of tears rolled down his face. "What?" He was crying. That idea itself was ridiculous and unbelievable. But no – he tried wiping the tears away but they just kept rolling down.

"Stop it… I'm not crying just cuz I lost my singles position to this guy named Taki – oh what the hell am I saying?" Ryou miserably took a deep breath and ran, ran away from the lockers in the tennis courts, sprinting away so fast nobody could clearly see the tears. If Gakuto saw it, that'd be the end of him.

He ignored all the calls, running and running towards the one special place nobody else knows about.

It's the place where he can do whatever he wants and nobody would know, mostly because nobody goes there. It's the place where he can cry his heart out and there wouldn't be anybody teasing him for it. It's the place where he can practice, hitting the tennis ball with all his emotions trained on the swing. It's the place where he can vent out his anger, his sorrow, his frustration.

Most of all, it's where he can be alone and still feel like he belongs.

His legs went faster and faster until they were a blur. He could go to the edge of the world and still be able to go to that special place of his blindfolded. He felt a connection, a bond from within. Ryou knew that the park was meant for him. It was the flame and he was the moth.

Finally. The trees came into view, the reason why nobody really goes to that particular area. Houses were left untouched. No stores were open. Because surrounding his safe haven was a forest.

Thick trunks grew large, healthy branches that, in turn, grew leaves. Bushes and weeds and wild flowers danced to the steady rhythm of the wind, bending over in defeat when the merciless rain beat them and straightening up with dignity when the sun shone on them as if they were being knighted.

There was a full playground, swings and slides and monkey bars, benches, even long tunnels that were large enough to fit the average, healthy adult!

What Ryou loved the most, though, was not the wall he used to practice tennis, not the tunnel he occasionally went through, pretending he was a small child again and playing hide and seek, {Something he swore nobody would ever find out} not even the monkey bars he had the most memories with.

What he cherished the most was the tree.

That tree was like a miracle tree.

It had been struck by lightning more than 5 times but managed to stay upright and healthy, though less healthy than before. One of the largest, thickest branches of the tree was hacked off and yet, it grew another one that was larger, thicker, and stronger than the previous one.

Beautiful, ripe oranges decorated the treetop during the spring. During the winters, though bent over and almost lifeless, one can practically feel the spark of life that's getting bigger and bigger inside. During the summers, the oranges were shriveling up a bit because of the intense heat but some remained stubborn and refused to be like the others.

Dainty flowers surrounded the tree, their petals' colors ranging from gold to purple to blue to pink to yellow.

Eating one of those oranges always did manage to calm him down, except during times where he was almost hysterical.

Many of the animals there had learned to accept his visits, and even appreciate them.

Squirrels would stare at him from the tops of smaller trees, as if daring him to reach them by climbing the large plant. Stray cats would peek out from the shrubs, wide eyes blinking curiously about what he had in store for them. Butterflies would flutter around him delicately, their beauty enchanting him.

Even non-living things seem to creak from the wind, acknowledging his appearance. Sometimes, Ryou would crouch down to pet some of the cats, or hold out a finger for the birds or butterflies to land on, throw acorns at the trees for the squirrels to catch, and deliberately leave crumbs of bread or food on the floor as a path for ants to follow.

If they managed to stay for the entire path, then they would have a large pile of crumbs which could fill their stomachs quite easily. At least, that's what he liked to think.

When he arrived, time seemed to stop. Everything was still, until that simple breeze blew by. Then everything went back to life. As he entered, the excited chatter of squirrels reminded him to sit on the swings and tell his story to them. But right now, the important thing was to sit behind his special tree, and have his heart, his soul, his emotions be poured out through tears.

Ryoma kept on staring until she felt something brush against her leg. She looked down and saw it was a cat, a purely white one. She bent down, reaching over to scratch his {The cat} ears as he purred contently. Grinning, she looked around and saw many more pairs of eyes staring at her. Then a rough voice growled. It was the crying boy.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, refusing to show his face.

"…"

"Answer me!"

With that sudden shout, birds flew out of their nests and came down. Squirrels climbed down the trees and the cats were suddenly alert. They all stared at her, some with beady eyes and some with large, intimidating ones. It was as if they understood the turmoil in his mind and were threatening her, sending along the message of _"Bother him in any way and you are dead." _

All that interested Ryoma. She suddenly wanted to know all about him, and so she spoke up and recited a poem she remembered from long ago. It kept her going when she was crying one day.

"_**The next tear that shall be fallen,**_

_**A single flower will bloom.**_

_**As the tears continue to drip,**_

_**The flowers shall continue to spread.**_

_**After there are no more drops,**_

_**Look around you.**_

_**All the crystal petals represent all the time you've waste**_

_**Crying out of self-pity, crying from sorrow, crying from frustration.**_

_**Do you see the falling drop of dew?**_

_**It signals all the things that could have been done**_

_**While all these illusions were being built**_

_**Illusions of what you think the world is**_

_**Illusions of what you thought everybody was like**_

_**Illusions that travel to a world unknown.**_

_**Now look at me in the eye.**_

_**Stare at me for the longest time.**_

_**Tell me your messages, your emotions, your thoughts**_

_**Tell me what you have to say through this stare.**_

_**Have you done so yet? **_

_**If so, then look around once more.**_

_**Do you see the crystals breaking apart?**_

_**Do you see a glow radiating from within?**_

_**Do you see the little faery that flies out?**_

_**Do you see the drop of dew gone?**_

_**That just means every second you've wasted looking at me in the eye**_

_**Was not wasted at all for a new faery has been born.**_

_**A new you. The old one?**_

_**That one flew away."**_

It was more of a story, or instructions, but somehow, that mysterious person who helped her that fateful day many years ago had been able to say it like a poem. Those words were engraved into her heart, and that's how she was able to change. For better or for worse, that is something that remains unknown.

Ryou was surprised by the sudden words. He instinctively stood up, spinning around to get a good look at the person who said such words and found a girl slightly shorter than him, just blankly staring.

He felt compelled to return the stare, completely forgetting about the previous events. His stubborn personality refused to blink, though his eyes were getting red and watery.

Suddenly, she looked around and smiled a genuine smile. "Look – a new faery." She pointed to the butterfly that was flapping away from its shell that was left behind. Then she looked at him.

"Have you understood?" He nodded. "Have these words been engraved into your heart?" He nodded once more. "Then my job is done." Ryou blinked and suddenly, the girl that was in front of him disappeared. With it, all his feelings of despair were replaced by determination.

Ryoma quickly dashed away after seeing those words, heart thumping. It has been a long time before those words escaped her lips once again. She had a feeling she would be seeing him again sometime soon. But – before all the trouble, the sushi was waiting for her. And she was going to make sure the wait would not be extended any longer.

Ryou looked around, trying to find where the girl could have gone. Unfortunately, the only clue left behind was the black rose she had on her dress.

His thoughts of her being a figment of his imagination vanished for the rose was his proof she was real, someone who had just somehow comforted him so easily.

As he walked back home, fingering the flower, he suddenly felt a bit of blood welling up on his finger. A thorn seemed to have been stuck and hidden in one of the petals and he apparently pricked his finger on it. He frowned, wiping it on his shorts. He didn't even think it could have been an omen, a sign of something horrible happening.

*At Rikkaidai*

Akaya looked around, licking his lips nervously. He didn't want to go against the strong non-regular – he had randomly shown up one day and proved to be a challenge. Within 3 hours, he had already defeated all the tennis members 6 games to 0, not including the regulars, of course.

After seeing that, Sanada had already taken a liking to the boy for he was extremely tired and still went on.

That just made Akaya more nervous than he already was. What if he snapped into Demon Akaya and hurt the guy? Everybody would just hate him even more. But, then again, it's not like he can cry about it. It was hard for him to breathe when his emotions took over.

But what if he got replaced? It was already happening now. Marui had practically ignored him all day, hanging around the new guy and giving him sweets.

When he had asked him for help on his homework, he had just glanced at him. "Sorry. I'm busy – I have an appointment with Chev."

Chev. That was his name. That was all they knew about him.

Even Niou knew that he shouldn't let his guard down around people he didn't know, but this time, he ignored that rule. All the pranks that were usually directed at Akaya were directed at Chev.

It didn't make him feel very good when even _**Yukimura, **_his dear, dear Yukimura, had taken him under his wing. Just thinking of it made his heart ache.

Hell, Yanagi had let him flip through all his books to get data on his opponents – even for Akaya.

It was as if they wanted him off. All the time he spent with them, were they all wasted? Did they not care about him at all? He supposed not. He supposed that, if he disappeared, they wouldn't care at all because their dear little Chev was with them.

But enough of that. Cheers for Chev rang through his ears. 'Akaya' or 'Kirihara' was not heard at all. "Perhaps… It's for the best… If they don't see my face ever again…" He thought himself ugly. Despite his striking, light green eyes, which was his best feature, and his fit body, despite all the compliments people had given him about his looks, he thought himself as the most ugliest person anybody can ever meet. Especially because of his way of tennis.

Akaya looked at Chev, who was smirking smugly at him. They were both the same age, but right now, it seemed like he was the child and his parent was beating him for being a 'horrible child.'

It scared him.

All these things that happened scared him. Unfortunately, he was forced to throw the ball and serve as the audience began to complain, throwing insults and discouraging words at him.

The moment he did so, a thud was heard. The battered tennis ball rolled around his side of the court as the already thunderous applause went up a notch.

… **And I finished. I know, these chapters are kinda short but kinda long at the same time. But I hope it's good! :3 I'm amazed so many people liked it. **


	3. Pain, Betrayal, and Humor?

**One person who I have to thank for giving me a helpful, detailed review~ Course, I'm extremely thankful to the other reviews, of course, thankful that the readers took their time to leave even a little comment, but **_**Dante96**_ **left me a full blown, awesome review. So I thank you. I'm not so good at describing tennis matches, so sorry! I'll do my best! This one might not be as good as some other chapters because I'm typing this at night and I have to wake up at like, 5:30 the next morning. It's 2AM right now. **

**The first part is the other regulars' reactions to the match. I'm trying to make this chapter really long. **

**And I took a turn for the humor this time, a bit. I don't think I did very well. Oh wellz. It won't have as much details as the previous chapters, unfortunately. Also, also, also, I'm just gonna have Choutarou be in there. Everything's a lot too confusing. So Taki will have like, one line. Sorry! **

Marui blinked. And blinked again. The entire place was silent for a moment before it suddenly exploded with cheers and chants. "Whoo! Chev! Chev! Chev! Chev!" He shouted along with the rest of the group, not noticing the saddened look on Akaya's face.

PoTPoTPoTPoTPoTPoTPoT

Yukimura smiled happily as his kohai scored point after point, completely crushing his other kohai. "30-0!" The referee called out. All thoughts of pity did not come to his mind despite the looks he's getting from the once favorite kohai, the one he used to protect and love like a son.

PoTPoTPoTPoTPoTPoT

Sanada nodded in approval as the new guy quickly countered the other's smash by reducing the power behind the ball and lightly hitting it back. {Does that make sense?} "40-0! 2 games to Chev!" {I think that's how they announce it…} He leaned against the fence, putting a hand to his face. They might need a replacement soon, much as he might regret his decision.

PoTPoTPoTPoTPoTPoT

Niou grinned, pushing up his glasses. 'Thatta boy, Chev.' He thought as said player smashed the ball onto the other junior's side of the court. It wasn't much of a game, although Akaya kept trying and trying to get at least a point. "Akaya can do better than that…" He murmured aloud, smirking as Chev dashed up to the net to return the ball.

PoTPoTPoTPoTPoTPoT

Jackal scratched his head nervously, glancing from Akaya to Chev. Who should he root for? Akaya was his awesome 'baby' he was a babysitter for, but Chev was an awesome tennis player who proved to have a lot of potential. If he was on the team, Rikkaidai would be stronger than ever. Something clicked in the back of his head. He had his answer.

PoTPoTPoTPoTPoT

Yagyuu pushed up his glasses – or well, tried, to, then remembered he didn't have them. 'Interesting…' He mused, discreetly glancing at his other friends. Each one of them had a different expression on, and he could practically see the thoughts running through their heads. When he heard the cheers, his attention went back to the game. It seemed like someone was about to snap.

PoTPoTPoTPoTPoT

Yanagi quickly glanced up, then went back to scribbling furiously in his 'Chev Volume I' notebook. It was a wonder he only had 150 pages filled with info of this mysterious guy. By now, he usually had around 2 volumes done already. That just made him more interesting to study. Taking a pause from his work, he looked around to see what the other regulars were thinking. "So it's like this, huh?"

***Another one. Sigh.***

Ryou sighed. He was not able to find the girl, even after he searched the entire park for more than an hour, with the help of his friends, of course. By now they were probably all worried. As if on cue, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Shishido. Get back here. Now." Atobe's stern voice was heard. However, they were really close so even he could tell Atobe was really worried.

"What the hell were you thinking, Ryou? Just cuz you got kicked off the regulars doesn't mean you can just go run out of the courts, leaving us here to worry our asses off about you, and have the newcomer feel so depressed and everything and – oh shit." Gakuto's eyes widened when he just realized what he said.

Ryou snorted. "Oh, so you really do care 'bout me, huh, Gakuto? I'm so flattered."

"… Oh just shut up and get back here." He mumbled, blushing a bit.

"And I suppose you're blushing?"

Gakuto gasped indignantly. "I am **NOT!** Where the hell did you get that idea from?" He fumbled with the phone furiously, turning red all the while. Oshitari grinned, snapping a picture of him and promptly sending it to Shishido's phone.

He turned around, staring at the blue haired tensai. "Yuushi. You. Did. _Not. Just do that." _

He smirked. "Gakuto. I. Did. Just do that."

" Why you -!" Gakuto glared, breaking into a run. He quickly whispered to Ryou, "Hurry up and come back here safely, sheesh. It's too boring with no one to mess around with." He then shut the phone, proceeding to chase after the amused Oshitari.

***Another new line break? How much am I going to have?* **

Ryou stared at the picture he got from Oshitari and burst out laughing. "He – red – funny – tomato – Hahahahahahaha! He's so – so – red and – blushing and – " Unable to breathe, he doubled over in laughter. Gakuto's _so _gonna get it when they see each other once more.

After all, no one knew him better than that one short carrot-head.

***Ooh! New line break thing!***

Akaya blinked. The crowd was roaring with thunderous applause, and cheers of "Chev! Chev! Chev!" were louder than before. What had happened? Did he – did he lose? No. It couldn't be possible… right?

Yet again, he was wrong. Even the rest of the regulars had started cheering and applauding for Chev. That's it. Blinking away tears, his breath hitched as he dragged his feet across the courts. He's unwanted. It was apparent.

_**NEXT MORNING**_

Ryoma tilted her head, listening to music. This time, she had more comfortable clothes on because her mom was shopping away. Her original plan was to stop by Rikkaidai, but her thoughts then went to Tarou. She figured she might as well pay him a visit.

So there she was, staring at the huge gate, the entrance to Hyoutei Gakuen. "Tch, stupid school never fails to surprise me." This time, helicopters were surrounding it and like, ten limousines lined up with men in tuxedoes and sunglasses inside.

Unfortunately… They hadn't let her in at first. The men in tuxedoes. Even when she was allowed to enter, there was a man staring at her from behind. He followed her wherever she went. Ryoma shuddered, making her way to the tennis courts. The creepy man suddenly sped forward, firmly blocking her path. "Sir, the courts are off limits. You may, however, explore the awesomeness of this school." She nearly choked on air. Did he seriously say "Awesomeness?"

"I know a person in there. Let me through."

"Is he a regular?"

"… No…"

"Then you are not allowed."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Um… Excuse me but… Can you please stop staring at me like that? It's quite disturbing."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… Fine. You may go." He kindly stepped out of the way for her.

It was pretty obvious he was a newcomer, especially since he gave up so easily. Ryoma grinned in triumph, hands in her pockets as she walked right into the courts. Her eyes looked for the familiar jet-black hair.

Ah, there he was! She lowered her cap so as to avoid attention, even though the entire place was silent and concentrated on her except for the sound of tennis balls, then took off running in his direction. Close to the fence, though, so the matches would not be disrupted.

Tarou was collecting a few tennis balls, bouncing them on the ground before tossing them into the basket. He most certainly did not expect her bounding figure coming towards him.

She suddenly skidded to a stop. She ended up right in front of him, only a mere 2 inches away. He blushed. She smirked. "Yo."

"Y-yo." He replied, looking away nervously and taking a few steps back. She tilted her head curiously, then jumped back. "So. Are they the regulars?" Tarou looked at the direction her hand was gesturing to, and nodded. "Yep. The one with the high and mighty aura is Atobe Keigo, the captain. The one with the – ah, light brown hair that reaches up to his shoulders , you see him? He's Haginosuke Taki. The big man next to Atobe-sama is Kabaji Munehiro, who rarely says anything except for 'Usu.' Um… The jumping red-headed one is Mukahi Gakuto, and he plays doubles with the blue-haired tensai {Genius, prodigy}, Oshitari Yuushi. They're really close to each other, just like double players should be with their partners. Oh, you see the one with a 'mushroom' cut? Yeah, he's Wakashi Hiyoshi. I think he's going to be the next captain. And… the one with long hair in a ponytail – wait, he just cut it. Okay, so you see the one with a blue cap on? He's Shishido Ryou, and he's my idol. I want to be as good as him, and perhaps even better when I graduate Hyoutei!" Tarou said with a determined look on his face. Ryoma watched him, nodding. "Good goal you got there…" She murmured, just as Shishido turned around. "AH! IT'S YOU!" Her eyes widened when she recognized the soon to be man. He did the same and they both pointed at each other as Tarou just looked at them. Ryoma, Ryou. Ryoma, Ryou. Ryoma, Ryou. "You two know each other?"

***Uwa-oh. New line break thing!***

Meanwhile, Akaya's mind was in turmoil. He was dizzy, hurt, dirtied, and betrayed. Not a very nice combination all together. All he wanted was some love, some affection, hints of care. They had given it to him. But it was gone. He could feel the tears prickling in his eyes, threatening to spill. He hastily wiped them away, looking around. His surroundings were strange, unknown. A man pushed him, hurrying to go somewhere. "Don't stand in the way, kid!" He heard him mumble. Akaya frowned, wading through the crowd. This wasn't where he wanted to be. Suddenly, he heard a small gasp. He looked down to see a petite figure with insanely long braids on the floor, almost getting trampled by all the people.

***Uh-oh. New line break thing!***

Sakuno whimpered, curling up into a ball. This was scary! After her oba-chan trusted her to be alone and went home, she had smartly tripped and strangers just kept stepping on her braids. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted up by strong and sturdy arms.

Gaining the courage to look up, Sakuno caught a glimpse of her 'rescuer's face. Striking, green eyes were looking forward as he took large steps, twisting his neck to find a quiet place.

"A-ano…" She whispered, tugging on his sleeve. That got his attention, and he looked at her. "Speak up little girl." He monotonously replied. "U-uhm… Thank you for helping me! My name is Sakuno!" She smiled sweetly at him, and her eyes widened in recognition. "Ah! You're Kirihara-san from… From… Ooh, I forgot." She pouted.

Akaya snorted. Luckily, his attention span was that of a fly's, so his mind was taken off of more serious things for the time being. Besides, she would be helping him, right? But what if she needed to go home? If he remembered correctly, she was the precious granddaughter of the most feared lady in Tokyo. The coach of Seigaku – no sane teenager would ever want to cross paths with her or mess with her treasure. Who was, as of right now, in his arms. "Oh da – Oh my god." Akaya groaned, cursing under his breath. Sakuno looked at him curiously. "What happened, Kirihara-san?"

"Your oba-san. Will she kill me?" He asked pitifully. She giggled. "Of course not! I think… Oba-can won't do anything like that, but she might if she sees something she really likes dirty." He examined her from head to toe. She was beyond clean.

"I'm gonna die. Oh, I'm too young to die!" "Don't be silly!" "I'm not! I'm telling the truth!" "Stop it! Oba-chan's not mean!" "She's gonna kill me!" "No she's not, so stop worrying, Kirihara-san!" "NEVER!" He dashed towards her home.

**Sakuno POV**

I thanked Kirihara-san, bowing many times before entering the house. He thought Oba-chan was a really scary old lady! Oops, sorry, Oba-chan! You're not old! But he decided that it was safer to pretend I accidentally fell down and not show his face. I giggled. He wasn't like what many of the rumors suggested him to be, at all!

Suddenly, I felt something vibrate in my pocket. Then I remembered. My cell phone! I had recently got one, and I forgot all about it. Oba-chan must be so worried!

Sure enough, it said that she had called… Whoa. Oopsies again. '50 Missed Calls.' It read. Had I really been that out of it? I quickly ran towards her room where she would most likely be.

"Oba-chan! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I apologized several times, bounding into her warm arms. She looked really frizzled, if that made sense. Her hair was in tangles and the room was a mess. When she breathed a sigh of relief, her voice sounded slightly scratchy as if she's been screaming. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot and her clothes were all wrinkly.

I burst into tears. How could I have forgotten about her? She's been taking care of me all this time! Baka, baka, baka! I mentally hit myself really hard in the head, then made a note to actually do it later.

"Sakuno-chan… You're safe…" Oba-chan's face softened and she hugged me tightly. She was trembling, which made me sob harder. No! I had to be strong! It wouldn't do if I were to be such a baby! "I'm so sorry Oba-chan! I'll never do this again, I promise! I'll tape the phone onto my shoulder and when it rings, I'll rip the tape off and answer since I'll know! Then I'll put new tape!"

She laughed weakly. "Sa-chan, that wastes tape, you know."

"B-but still!"

"Look at me." Her voice became more stern, forcing me to look up into her kind and experienced face.

"Stop those tears from falling. You're okay, right? That's all that matters right now." She smiled. How can Kirihara-san think she's an evil old lady, which she isn't?

I sniffed, nodding. "Okay, oba-chan! I'll be strong!"

That night, we slept on the same bed with me clutching onto her arm playfully. What a good way to end the day!

Akaya turned and tossed in his sleep. He started sweating a lot, face contorted into one of pain and he was whispering. "Please…"

_I walked forward, my shoes crunching the snow underneath it. The whole world was grey, and the white snow just made everything seem bleaker. The earth was as cold as iron, and the water in the fountain was as still as a stone. I looked up at the sky._

_White flurries drifted down from above, lightly dancing around me, landing on my head and face. I took another step and the cobblestones cracked a bit. I panicked. Were they going to break? Was I going to fall? Yet, despite all these worries, my feet just kept taking another step. _

_The frosty winds mercilessly whipped my face. The scarf I had on was no help at all. My limbs were all numb, freezing from the cold, and my breath froze in midair. What was I doing?_

_Suddenly, everything got sucked into a black hole. Images just ran through my head and it felt like my body was on fire. I had to keep on running away. But from what? What was chasing after me? Terror took control of my heart and I just blindly fought back. _

_Fire and ice. Inside me, everything was on fire. I could feel the burning flames flicker inside. Outside, it was just icy. It was black. There was no light. My head was throbbing, and everything was blotched with red. Red, my most hated color. It was the color of blood. It was what I had seen the most, why others dubbed me the Bloodied Devil. I hate that title. What do they know? Roars filled my head, and screams of agony echoed throughout the place where I was running._

_Then I noticed. I wasn't going anywhere. I couldn't even see. Wherever I turned, there was nothing but black and splotches of red. Laughter resounded in my ears. It was a blood-curdling laughter. It made me afraid, terrified. But then I realized. That was me. That was who I am. That was my laughter. _

_A cold, uncaring, emotionless voice spoke up. "I'll dye you red… From head to toe!" Maniac laughter again. "Heh. Is that all you have? Pathetic." No. No .No. No! No! NO! I heard myself scream. I covered my ears, trying to block everything around me, to ignore all the hatred and uncaring directed towards me. This wasn't who I was. It wasn't who I wanted to be. A wall refused to be broken down. That wall was what blocked me from my escape to the real world, to who I was. It was the wall of my pride and it was stronger than it was ever before. I wanted it to just crumble away into ashes and dust so everyone would like me. I wouldn't be someone who is known as a violent, scary person throughout Japan. I'm sure that's what all players thought these days. _

_So I was trying to run away from that, wasn't I? Trying to run away from the reality of the world? Trying to escape the nightmares of my life? Pain overtook my body and I doubled over, unable to breathe. _

_Suddenly, it just stopped. A light appeared and an angelic voice murmured soothing words. "You'll see. Someday, that wall will be taken down." Would it really? "There will be those who help you along your way." Will there? "Just remember…" Remember what? What are you saying? "… Than no wings at all." No wings at all? What wings? I turned my head and saw bloody, torn wings droop from my back. Everything shattered. What were you saying? What wings? But the only thing that kept echoing was the last words mentioned. _

His eyes snapped open. Sunlight was creeping through his windows into his room, and his clothes clung onto his damp body uncomfortably. "Oh my god… What was that?" Akaya took deep breaths, trying to calm down. He got out of bed, looked at the clock, then took out a notebook. He grabbed a pencil and started scribbling madly.

The notebook's cover had words written all over it in bright colors. There was a page that had something written and space for him to write as an answer.

My name: _

My address: _

My home phone: _

My cell: _

My email: _

In case of an emergency: _

This book is about: _

Akaya had only filled out the name and 'about the book' part. He had written, in his normal messy handwriting, "Dreams."

So here he was, remembering what he can and putting it down on paper. It was a secret notebook, one that no one ever knew about. He put whatever he wanted in here, any drawings or doodles, any frustrations are sorrow, any happiness or anger. Doodles of clouds and flowers and even a kingdom were squished into the margins, and he had filled up almost three – quarters of the book already. It was something he was proud of because it was the longest time he had every stuck to anything. Akaya just hoped nobody would ever be curious enough to read it.

***Ooh-lala! XD How do you think of the story so far?***

Tezuka sighed, rubbing his temples. He had a migraine coming down and the commotion his team was causing did not help. There was a cat that had been mistaken for a raccoon way too many times and it – he, as Eiji so quietly insisted, snuck into the tennis courts. Obviously, everyone was distracted and the other Neko had even went as far as communicating with it.

What a week.

When Momoshiro and Kaidoh started _arguing, _he felt a nerve snap. That's it. Tezuka stood up from the bench, lifting his glasses before crossing his arms. "Quiet down. Now." He commanded. If they didn't listen, even after the lesson he taught them yesterday for ignoring him the day before that –

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

"…" Tezuka coughed, trying to maintain his dignity and composed face after the cat was so rudely _thrown _at his face. Everything was silent before a feminine chuckle was heard and a satisfied purring sounded.

"Tezuka, this is the first time you've been thrown off guard, isn't it? Yudan sezuni ikou!"{Don't let your guard down and move on, I think.} Fuji smiled amusedly, quoting his catchphrase.

"Fuji."

"Tezuka."

"Get this cat _off of_ me."

"Why? It's so cute!" He cooed, expertly snapping pictures.

The cat was sitting on his head, mewing in contentment. When Tezuka stood up, however, his comfortable position changed so he had walked in a circle a few times before plopping down again.

Eiji blinked, then burst out laughing. "Tezuka, nya! The kitty likes you!" He choked out in between laughs, effectively dramatizing everything by rolling around on the floor. Kaidoh blushed, turning his head away and hissing. 'I will not be caught. I will not be caught. I will not be caught. I will not look at him. I will not look at him. I will not look at him.' Unfortunately, his curiosity got the better of him and he glanced at the ticked off captain. "Pft – psshhh…." He tried to cover up that laugh by pretending it to be a hiss.

Inui was looking up every so often from his volumes of Tezuka. He had even walked up to him, plucked off a few hairs off of the cat, then recorded its weight and specific type. "It's a plump, Himalayan cat with the weight of approximately… 12.57 pounds. Unlike what Eiji had suggested, the gender is female."

"NYA?" Eiji protested indignantly, flushing from his mistake. Fuji chuckled again. "I understand her choice of boys, then. Tezuka's charming, ne?"

Taka-san nervously gave a few laughs, then looked at Tezuka. Visible veins were popping and his aura had gone completely black. He inched away, afraid of this new progressment then promptly fainted on the spot.

"Taka-san!" Oishi cried out worriedly, having noticed the now unconscious player. "What happened?" Then he felt it too. He turned his head and saw him. Bullets of sweat came pouring down and he, too, fainted.

Nobody else had noticed, though, until a dark voice ordered, "Everybody. 700 laps around the court. Go."

Momoshiro immediately wanted to complain. "What? Why? Why do we have to do that much, Tezuka-buchou? Did we do anything wrong?" He took off just the same, though, since there will forever be no person who rejects Tezuka's orders.

Kaidoh shut his mouth. Idiots will stay as idiots until the day they die, right? Especially if they are broom-headed dense dudes.

**So it's not really that long. Oopsies! But it's longer than all my other chapters, right? ^^ I'm sorry if I made Tezuka too OOC… Or if this chapter was disappointing… But, well, I did what I could although I could probably have done better. Tezuka will have a lighter character in the farther chapters, though! ^^ And I sincerely hope everybody is IC. Ja! Thanks for supporting me! **


	4. Hyoutei Arc: Amusement Park I

**XD While I was running, I thought of an idea for this, and, this time, my aim is 9000 words. I want it to be long, and I want my readers to enjoy what they're reading! ^^ Enjoy~ I'm going to reply to Dante's questions from the reviews. ;) **

**Dante: {First review} I, myself am not really sure yet. I'm just going to come up with ideas as I go along into the story, so… Expect the unexpected! {For the school question}**

**The dream was a bit confusing… I guess you can just imagine the scenes I described, but the last part is very important. Don't worry, he'll be meeting Ryoma soon! ^^ Haha, yes, I like trying to have Tezuka being thrown off his guard because I'd like to see how that would be like. Beware, he might go through a lot more stuff… It adds to the humor, no? **

**Thank you to everyone who's reading this! **

**I used the period when it was Echizen vs. Atobe and he cut his hair. T^T NOOOO! ORE-SAMA'S BEAUTIFUL, SILKY HAIR! I'm taking it out of the manga, so... I wanna make it into my own words, but I don't know how to, but I'll try my best… Sorry if it's not satisfactory!**

**Who should she go to first, Rikkai or Seigaku? **

**I'm gonna have 'arcs,' so it's gonna be like, Hyoutei Arc for the next few chapters. Then it's gonna be Seigaku or Rikkaidai Arc. XDD I'm gonna always end with an epic Seigaku moment. Would you want to read my Looking Away Challenge fic? *Hopeful hopeful***

"_**English"**_

Ryou gaped at her, who was staring at him. "You… You play tennis?" He sputtered, dropping to the ground. His racquet fell down with a clatter.

Tarou was just as confused as Ryou. He didn't remember her coming to Hyoutei after their first meeting, so how did she meet his idol? What if her identity was discovered? The regulars have sharp eyes. If she attended this school, they would notice.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow, already recovered from her small moment of shock. She glanced at the tennis bag that had mysteriously landed on her back. "Yes, I do."

There was a moment of silence before an arrogant voice spoke. "Introduce yourself." The silver-haired King snapped, as if expecting her to answer immediately. "Who are you to so rudely barge into Ore-sama's tennis courts, and distract one of the members? It's not something wise to do, right, Kabaji?"

"Usu." A deep voice replied coming from the blankly staring, large teen.

She thought for a while, searching for the right word to describe his attitude.

"Well? Answer."

Fangirls were whispering to each other in distaste.

"Ignorant – "

" – bratty – "

" – think he is – "

"Ne." Ryoma said. She turned her head, glaring straight at the girls. "I can hear you."

One of them flushed with anger. She clutched the fence, shouting, "So what? You can listen all you want, but it's pretty obvious everyone in here is superior then you both statically and in tennis!"

"Really?"

Now, a few more of them were standing up to her. "It's not like you can defeat any of them , anyway, so who are you to be talking?"

"Atobe…" A yawn was heard and the entire place was silent again. The curly-haired blond rubbed his eyes, blinking repeatedly as he woke up. "What's happening?"

"Jiroh. You're awake. It appears there has been an… intruder."

"An intruder?"

"Yes."

"Jiroh-sama! Kyaa!" He turned and waved, smiling brightly. Ryoma shifted a bit, taking the tennis bag off of her back. She quietly took out her favorite racquet and grabbed a few tennis balls, stuffing them into the pocket of her baggy, camo – like pants.

"Monkey King."

That alone was enough to have all the fans steaming with anger. Who was this person, and what did he {she} want with the regulars?

"Match?"

Atobe smirked. "Challenge accepted." The court erupted with cheers, soon followed by the rhythmic chant of "Atobe! Atobe! Atobe!" and "Katsu no wa Hyoutei!"{The winner will be Hyoutei}

"Tch, it'll feel good when they shut up." Ryoma muttered. "Loser will have to shave off their hair!" She declared.

***LINE BREAK!***

The two talented players started a light rally at first when she suddenly leaned down and slid across the ground before jumping up.

"Eh? What was that?"

"Drive B." Ryoma said, but was quickly ready to return the ball once more.

"As expected of Atobe-sama! He returned it!" However, their cheers halted a bit when she used another serve, one that made it into a shape of a D. Atobe didn't do anything but stand and watch the ball sail onto his side of the court.

"0-15!" {Atobe went first}

"Ore-sama can see you're hiding something." He said quietly. She grinned.

"Ho? So you noticed?"

"Then why aren't you using it?"

"Don't wanna." She bluntly replied.

"In that case… Ore-sama will have to draw it out of you."

"Let's see you try."

"HAA!" He shouted, tensing before making sure the racquet and the ball connected. _"Tannhauser Serve!"_

The ball sped across Ryoma's side quickly in a straight line before suddenly bouncing up. She was unable to return it. Atobe smirked, knowing the points he'll be scoring after this. "15 all!"

_POK! _"30-15!"

_POK! "_40-15!"

_POK! _"Game, Atobe! 1-0!"

By now, thunderous chants of, "KING! KING! KING! KING!" had spread throughout the area. The atmosphere started to feel different. Tarou glanced at Ryoma and was surprised to see a flaming white aura surrounding her figure as she grew to be calmer than ever. Was that…

"_**You still have a long way to go."**_

Gakuto looked at Ryou. They had all settled down in the bleachers, knowing they'd miss something if they so much as blink from this point on. '_What does that mean?' _He asked, using his eyes to translate his message. _'It means mada mada dane. You still have a long way to go.' _Yuushi answered. "Oh. Thanks, Yuushi!" "Welcome."

Jiroh's eyes shone with admiration. "That's the State of Self-Realization, isn't it? Isn't it? Sugoi! {Amazing}" He leaned forward, concentrating on the petit yet strong girl. "Who is he to be able to do that?"

"He? Isn't she a she?" Ryou asked.

"Who cares? Just shut up and stop distracting me! This is getting interesting!" Gakuto snorted.

***Ooh-lala! This might be a really long chapter. Line break!***

"That's more like it." Atobe's lips curled up slightly in triumph. Ryoma jumped up, and with all the strength she could muster, slammed the ball to the other side.

"_**Big Bang."**_

"What did he say? What was that?" Murmurs ran through the crowd as she continued using serves from other players she'd seen use from the past.

'That's how it's supposed to be. Don't hold back or you'll regret it.' He quickly returned it.

She then dropped down, dashing forward before flipping her racquet, holding it backwards and served in a circular motion.

"_**Viking Horn."**_

"So that's how it is, ahn? The State of Self-Realization? It allows one to unconsciously change into different styles of play." He stated, using the same serve. "Rather pathetic, isn't it?" He taunted. Ryoma didn't bother to reply, jumping into the air and spun around, using the momentum {If that makes sense} to serve a smash.

"_**FuuRinKaZan. Fire." **_

"Isn't that…"

"Sanada Genichiroh's…"

"Smash?"

"It is!"

Unfortunately, it was easily returned by Atobe's use of a certain sadistic tensai's Higuma Otoshi. She was unable to hit another serve, and thus lost a point.

"L-love – 15!"

"_**Heehh… Interesting… You're not so bad yourself." **_

With a familiar shout, Ryoma jumped up and leaned back. "_HAAAH!" _

"T-that's Atobe-buchou's…"

"_**Tannhauser Serve."**_

He sprinted forward. If he was surprised by her use of his move, he didn't show it. "As expected. He returned it using a Front Foot Hop, huh?" Ryou commented.

Yuushi pushed up his gleaming glasses. "Atobe stepped out using his left foot, then jumped on it while serving a Top Spin Rising Counter Shot. It gave him access to the ball just as it hit the ground. That's pretty impressive."

"But he's still going on! Look!" Jiroh pointed to Ryoma. Sure enough, she was moving from left to right quickly, forming the illusion of two people at once.

"Aah! Isn't that Kikumaru's Seal Step?" Gakuto gaped in dismay. "How would he know that?"

Atobe closed his eyes, then opened them, sharply glaring. He has had enough of this child's play. He narrowed his eyes. "You're not as great as Ore-sama expected you to be to challenge him so boldly like that." Closing his eyes once more, he breathed in.

"Found."

"0-30!"

What happened? Ryoma had been unable to react to it, although she would've normally been able to return it with ease.

"_**Damn it!" **_She muttered, going up to the front.

"Freeze. Your blind spots are as clear as daylight now."

Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized it.

"Each pillar of ice in my eyes… Is a weak point in reality. It's the World Of Ice, and you can't escape."

***Line breakie~ XD Is the tennis match doing okay?***

"HYOUTEI! HYOUTEI! HYOUTEI!" The cheers were getting louder than before. Ryoma clenched her fists in frustration as she continuously returned each serve aggressively.

"Bad move, chibi. If you keep on attacking like that, you'll lose stamina more quickly as you go on." Hiyoshi nodded in agreement.

"No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to return those shots. It's what happens when you get entangled in my world." Atobe served, aiming for yet another blind spot.

"Game Atobe! 3-0! Change court!"

Ryoma rested a bit, wanting to cool down. She covered her eyes from the heat of the sun, thinking things over. When it was time, though, she was still in the State of Self-Realization, more confident than ever.

"Shouldn't underestimate you now, should I?" She grinned, then leaped forward.

"_**Kamaitachi."**_

"All your efforts are futile!" Atobe answered, aiming for what he sees as a pillar of ice.

Despite her tries to return the ball, it didn't work. "Damn." She muttered, rubbing the heel of her shoes against the floor. Sweat dripped down as the time flew by.

"0-40!"

"At this rate, he'll have to shave off his hair!"

"Serves him right, thinking so lowly of Hyoutei!"

"Don't remind me of that, sheesh." She sighed. It might affect her play, so it's best not to worry. However, she was learning to control the State of Self-Realization regardless of her limit.

"Doesn't matter. After all, everything has a dead angle." He smirked.

_Pok!_

"Game, Atobe! 4-0!"

Panting heavily, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in for a split second, then opened them just as he served.

"Try you might, but all your dead angles can easily be seen." Atobe smirked, but it was completely wiped off when she used her racquet and promptly returned it.

"What? Did he just – did he just return the ball?"

"Impressive… Despite being in his World of Ice, he was able to successfully escape and return the shot. This guy deserves a round of applause, I'll give him that." Yuushi murmured, taking interest in who she was.

They started rallying when suddenly, the ball's path shifted slightly and avoided one of her blind spots. "That's…" He started, but trailed off in shock.

It was imperfect, but that was, unmistakably…

Tezuka Zone. His rival's move.

But was she still in the State of Self-Realization after such a long period of time? Upon taking a closer look, Tarou noticed the aura had died down. She was just normally playing, so how could she have used it?

'Che. Even now, Tezuka, it seems as if you're taunting Ore-sama regardless of your lack of presence.'

Finally. Ryoma had won at least a game out of the match.

"Game, Echizen! 1-4!" {Tarou was the referee guy}

"So her name is Echizen, huh?" Ryou thought to himself. He decided to keep her gender unknown to the others, as they thought she was male. Perhaps it was for a reason. After all, she had purposely tied her hair and tucked it under the cap so it cannot be seen.

***I have so many line breaks, it's not even funny anymore.***

After that loss for Atobe, she had a winning streak. Score after score, game after game.

"Game, Echizen! 2-4!"

_Pok. Pok. Pok. _

"Game, Echizen! 3-4!"

"The one who'll have to shave his hair in the end… Is you!" She announced, smashing the ball.

"Brat! Don't have such high hopes!" He replied, returning it, but he lost his grip on the racquet and it fell on the floor.

"Maji? {Seriously}"

She smashed once more.

"_**Rondo Towards Destruction!"**_

"G-game, Echizen! 4-4!"

"Phew." Ryoma took off her cap, shaking her head a few times before putting it back on. A few strands of hair escaped from the bun she had tied and they hung loosely behind her back. No one except for a certain regular noticed them. Pausing for a few seconds, she smirked at the non-regulars for they had calmed down.

"How refreshing. It's actually quieter. Perhaps it's because there is a bigger chance of me defeating your almighty captain?" She asked cockily, then went back to position.

Although Atobe quickly won another game, she didn't give in and caught up just as fast. They continued their rally, not budging to give the other an advantage.

"Ore-sama acknowledges your talent… But beating me is something you'll never be able to do!" He called over to her.

"Watch me."

Coach Sakaki walked over. "To wear down the opposing player, forcing he or she to yield was just a game for him. However, this time… he has thrown away all his desires in order for Hyoutei to gain victory. He has done well, surely worthy of his title as captain."

"Game, Atobe! 6-5!"

_Pok._

"Three more balls!"

_POK._

"Two more balls!"

Before he could come out triumphant, though, Ryoma made a comeback and quickly caught up. This led the game to head into a tiebreak.

Point after point, ball after ball, neither of them gave way for the other. When one was a point ahead, the other caught up. It continued this way for quite a while, and it made the spectators wonder if it was ever going to end.

"66-65!"

"66-66!"

"84-85!"

"85-85!"

"89-89, Atobe!"

They were all sweating profusely now, legs trembling and just barely allowing them to stand.

"ATOBE! ATOBE! ATOBE! ATOBE!" The regulars cheered him on. A thud was heard and they saw that the two players had fallen down, no energy left in them.  
"If… If one of them does not stand up and serve in the remaining 90 seconds, the opponent scores a point…" Tarou muttered. "So who would be the one victorious in the end?"

"C'MON, ATOBE! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU TO JUST ALLOW YOURSELF TO FALL DOWN AND NOT STAND UP! IT DOESN'T SUIT YOU!" Ryou shouted loudly, hoping his message would carry through.

"A-Atobe-san! I'm still inexperienced and all, but do you really wanna have your hair cut?" Choutarou asked nervously as loud as he could. He fidgeted, fingering the hem of his jacket and the capped teen glanced at him.

"Nice. Least you're cheering for your captain, Ohtori." He nodded in approval, then went back to encouraging Atobe to stand up.

Few hoped for Ryoma's victory, since she was, after all, in an 'enemy's' territory.

"T-the winner is… Hyoutei." The arrogant voice silenced them all as the owner shook, forcing himself to stand.

"YEAH! HYOUTEI! HYOUTEI! HYOUTEI! HYOUTEI! HYOUTEI! HYOUTEI!"

"ATOBE! ATOBE! ATOBE! ATOBE! ATOBE!"

"U-uresai… {Shut up}" She tsk-ed in annoyance, standing as well. Her vision was getting blurry and her head throbbed. _**"Why's the sun so hot?"**_ She complained, but with an easygoing tone. "Mada mada dane~"

Gripping her tennis racquet tightly, she looked up, jumped, and served.

"_**Twist Serve."**_

It flew past him as he didn't do anything but stand, eyes hidden by his bangs.

"118-117, Echizen!"

Another 20 seconds passed but he did not move at all.

"G-game set a-and won by Echizen R-Ryoma, 7-6!" Tarou announced, slowly getting out of the chair. He collapsed, slouching against the fence. Although he did not take part in it, he himself was trembling.

"That was… A crazy game."

"This can't be, right?"

"A-Atobe lost?"

Ryoma closed her eyes, breathing through her nose. "Even though you lost conscious… I approve of your will to win. After all, you're still standing despite your loss. A promise is a promise, though, and I demand something with it." She grinned, taking out an electric shaver. "Hate to do this to a defenseless person, but, hey, I'm a man of my word."

She took off her cap, fanning herself slightly before hopping over the net, humming a cheerful tune. "How delightful~"

"O-oi! How could you do that? He's unconscious!" Ryou turned pale. Who knows what she would do to his captain?

"OI! STOP IT!" Gakuto jumped down, running to catch up to her before it was too late. Jiroh had giggled, extremely amused and watching the whole scene through Yuushi's video-recorder. Hiyoshi, Gakuto, Ryou, and even Kabaji had been dashing or sprinting to try and stop her demonic deeds.

But they didn't manage to reach her in time.

"Zzzzzz~" It made a wonderful sound as snippets of Atobe's hair painfully fell off, bit by bit.

"Oops."

"Uh-oh."

"Did you just… Did you just say _oops?" _

"Yep – oops again."

"Atobe… I fear for your life." Taki said, still in shock by all of the events that had taken place. Yuushi chuckled, handing his device over to Jiroh.

"You do the rest, and make sure not to lose any of it." He carefully instructed the blonde boy.

"Kay – kay, YuuYuu! You just go right over and help KeiKei!" He giggled, holding the recorder.

Unfortunately… After around 3 minutes, he fell asleep and it rolled away from his hands. "Nyaa, BunBun, don't be like that~" He blushed a bit, then laughed and rolled over.

"Stop it! Let me make sure I keep my word!"

"No! You're cutting too much!"

"I am not! I made a mistake so I'm evening everything out!"

"By literally shaving him bald?"

"Yeah! I cut a bald spot and now I have to make sure his hair is not uneven!"

"KYAAAAAA! I CAN'T EVEN WATCH HIM TO THAT TO POOR ATOBE-SAMA…!" The fangirls shrieked in terror, fainting from the pure horror of it all.

They all stopped arguing, then looked at them. "Pft – " Gakuto started.

"Ha – " Ryoma continued.

"Ha – " Ryou grinned.

"Ha." Kabaji deadpanned.

"Haha. Now that I think about it, this is actually rather funny." Yuushi courteously hid his chuckle by covering his mouth.

"Aww, Yuushi! You ruined our chorus thing!" The red – head whined, jumping up and down.

"I think Kabaji ruined it." He protested, pointing to said teen.

"Sorry."

"… D'aaww, it's okay Kabaji, you didn't do anything bad. YUUSHI DID!" Gakuto glared. "How could you accuse Kaba-chan of doing such a thing?"

"So you accept his apology and not mine?"

"Yeah!"

"Gakuto… That's just WRONG, okay, cause you're supposed to trust your doubles partner very well." Ryou pointed out, glancing at Choutarou. The silver hair had been quiet the whole time, unsure of what to do.

"Ohtori. Loosen up a bit, will you? We're all friends here, no enemies whatsoever. Unless you count he – him." He stopped himself from using the pronoun for females when describing Ryoma.

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm an enemy? I very well may be attending here and I just beat your captain and shaved off his hair. Making me an enemy is… not a very smart choice, now is it?" She smirked, disdainfully turning her nose in the air.

"Ha, just kidding."

"I just don't believe you, kid."

Suddenly, Yuushi's face turned ashen. He was looking at the bleachers where a certain sleeping prodigy had been sitting.

"Where did Jiroh go?"

"He…" Gakuto jumped up, and when he landed, answered Yuushi's question. "Oh, he's just sleeping and it seems like the thing you used to record the match is broken and – IT'S BROKEN?" He shouted, leaping right over.

The blue-haired tensai grimaced, face contorted with pain. "That… cost me money… And it also had all that precious tape in it…" It darkened considerably. "Jiroh…" He mumbled, eyebrows furrowed as if he was thinking of a way to get revenge.

Choutarou could practically see all the thoughts running through his senpai's mind right now, and he fingered his cross necklace nervously. 'Kinda awkward here…' He thought. 'But I hope I'll get to know them all better! Especially Shishido-senpai, he's the one who's actually been helping me, too.' His face suddenly shone happily.

Ryou and Ryoma looked at him, then placed their hands on their hips in unison. "Ohtori-san." They chorused. He looked at them in surprise. "Y-yes?"

"Why is your face shining?"

"Why are your eyes twinkling?"

"Why are your hands on your neck?"

"Why are you not answering our questions?"

"Why are you so quiet?"

They shared a secret glance at each other, grinning manically.

"You know what, Ryou/Echizen?"

"This is pretty fun."

"Let's continue talking like this and freaking everybody out."

"Great!"

Choutarou stared at them. Did they have a secret device that lets them know what the other is going to say, so they can say it together?

"No, Ohtori-san, we do not have a secret device that would let us know what the other person is going to say so we would be able to say it together, though I admit, that would be quite useful, ne~?"

He was left completely dumbfounded as the two new best friends laughed at their feat.

When nobody was looking, they huddled closely together and exchanged recorders. "Ah, how useful it is to be friends with someone who knows my epic mind's pranks." They grinned. "Hey, even without this, we could still talk together!" Their smiles grew wider. "Now all we need to do is get similar voices and…"

Ryou started. "We can pull – "

Ryoma finished. "So many epic pranks!"

They burst out laughing, although it might've been something even Kabaji would find to be unusual.

Oh well. Who cares? It was also unusual that this 'random girl/boy' had shown up and promptly defeated their captain and shaved off his hair, tucking this note in their captain's pocket, right? But it wasn't unusual limousines had driven straight into the courts and men in black tuxedoes with the walky-talky gear and all, with sunglasses as well, had walked out, carried Atobe into the car, and drove out.

Hyoutei. What an interesting school.

***Line break!***

Atobe groaned, sitting up in bed and running his hand through his hair. Or, well, what used to be his hair. His eyes widened in shock when he realized there was nothing but a small spiky stub left. Something was in his other hand.

_Monkey King, since you lost to me, and I won, and I'm free on Sunday, I think, you gotta take me to the amusement park that just newly opened up with the rest of your team, especially Ryou. And pay for all our meals. It's just cuz I'm bored. Oh yeah, it's gonna be at 9AM. _

_Epic Winner _

He stared at in shock for a while. "That brat…!"

***On Sunday***

Ryoma wiped her eyes sleepily before glancing at the alarm clock that had so rudely waken her up from her sleep.

"Only 10? Hm… I'll sleep some more…" She yawned, pulling the covers over her head before bolting up. "Today's Monkey King's treat!" She clapped happily, bounding into the bathroom to get ready. Just the thought of going to the park made her excited. It's been like, what, 6 years since she last went? That was when he was still with her before going to America.

"Good morning!" Ryoma chirped, jumping down the stairs. She was wearing a beanie that was jet-black, and it went past down her ears, hiding a lot of her hair. Her shirt was red and striped, though its sleeves were extra-long as it hung down when she put her hands to her sides. She had an over-sized sweater on, something _he _had left behind for her. The cotton hugged her, keeping her warm since it was nearing September, and the weather was getting colder.

Her trousers were blue and it went slightly below her knees. They had several pockets which was useful if she decided to play tennis so she doesn't have to repeatedly get more.

"Oh? Bishounen, you're awake? Why do you look so cute today? Can it be – you have a boyfriend? And you're meeting him today, so you're waking up extra early just for him? No! What if he hits on you? What if he like, kisses you or something? I won't stand to have my dear daughter to be violated by someone I never met!" Nanjiroh puffed up his chest, beating it a few times with his hands as if to prove his point of his over-protectiveness.

Unfortunately for him, Ryoma had decided to ignore her father's usual antics and went straight to Rinko. She smiled cutely. "Ne, Oka-san… Can you cook something really good for me today? Please? And can you make 2 bentos? I want to give one to him to persuade him to do something with me."

Rinko immediately took the chance to make her child more like a woman. "Dear… How about I teach you how to cook?" She brightened up considerably. "Really?"

"Yes~" She cooed over the girl. Unknown to her, various, colorful thoughts were forming and a lot of images and ideas had been popping into her mind.

Nanako poked her head into the kitchen. "Ryoma-san wants to learn how to cook? Can I teach her, Rinko-san?"

"Good morning, Nanako-chan!" Ryoma grinned, jumping up and down with excitement. Rinko sighed happily. Her baby was finally growing up!

"Ryoma-chan, I'll make the bentos first, okay? With the leftover time, we can both teach you how to cook beautiful things for him~"

"Really? Thank you, Kaa-chan, Nanako-chan!" She hugged them, scurrying to the breakfast table to join her father who didn't notice her until she had ripped the newspaper out of his hands.

"What the – Oh! Hahaha, R-Rinky-chan, this is not what it looks like…!" He laughed nervously, trying to hide the offensive book he had been flipping through by ducking behind Ryoma. She laughed, getting up to join her mother who was growing larger by the second, holding a pan, eyes ablaze.

"Naaannnnjiiirroooohhhh!" She shouted. "Come here! How dare you? I thought I told you very clearly to get rid of all those magazines!" He scrambled out of the way, darting this way and that in an attempt to avoid getting hit.

"Ne, Nanako-chan, what are you doing?" Ryoma asked curiously, staring at the beautifully decorated lunch.

"I'm just adding a few finishing touches for your lunch. I'm going to get started on his lunch soon." She then looked at her cousin who was, as of this morning, being a cutesy girl.

"So, who is he?"

"Who?"

"The boy who's going to eat the bento, of course!"

"Oh, you mean Ryou?"

"Is that his name?"

"Yeah! Except it's his first name, since I'm still in the habit of calling people by their first names."

"Haha, understandable! Say, is he… You know, _hot?" _She whispered the last part, nudging the other girl.

"Hot? As in like, sweaty and all?"

"No! I mean like, attractive!"

"Hmm… Well, I'd say he's attractive. He has a few fangirls, after all." She shrugged, popping an onigiri {Rice ball} into her mouth.

"Ah! Ryoma-chan! You're not supposed to eat that yet!" Nanako pouted, slapping her hand away before closing the lid to the lunch box.

"Rinko-san, are you done with his lunch yet?" She called over to the woman chasing her husband. Rinko stopped, looking up, before replying. "Yep! It's right over there, on the counter."

"Eh? Kaa-chan, when did you get the time to make Ryou's lunch, too?"

Rinko winked. "Secrets of a wife! You'll get to know soon, too, when you start getting good at decorating and cooking!"

"Aw."

"Now. Nanjiroh. I haven't forgotten." She smiled evilly. So that's where Ryoma got her demonic face from…

"Well, I'm off!" Ryoma shouted, carefully tucking the lunches into her bag before slipping on her shoes and running off to the train station.

"Be careful, Ryoma-chan!" Nanako called after her, despite the door being closed.

"Thank you!" A distinct voice was heard. She grinned. Ryoma really did have such good hearing.

Meanwhile, Nanjiroh lay, twitching in the bathtub with his face bruised and bloodied.

"Ryo-chan left already?" Rinko giggled like a school girl, dancing around. "Ryoma's growing up! Ryoma's growing up! Ryoma's growing up!" She sang.

At that, he snapped back into reality and quickly put on his 'stalker' costume. He sneakily slithered through the backdoor, intent on spying on his precious child.

***At the amusement park!***

Atobe glanced around, looking at his watch repeatedly and impatiently tapping his foot. "He's late." He deadpanned.

"No duh." Ryou frowned, observing all the families and couples who were having a happy time here. They had been waiting here for around an hour by now, hoping that Ryoma would be the next person to walk into the entrance.

No luck.

Gakuto furrowed his eyebrows together, jumping around. He was not allowed to go check the rides and games out because, as Atobe so kindly stated, 'If a jumping monkey like you were allowed to do that, then everybody else would do so as well. Ore-sama is a man of his word and will not wander off like you would.'

"Who takes this long to get ready?" He complained, jumping onto Kabaji. "Kabaji, don't mind me, I'm just gonna drift off to sleep…"

They had all been brutally forced to wake up at 5 in the morning only because their captain takes 3 hours to get ready and an hour to eat breakfast. Luckily, this amusement park belonged to him and so it was nearby their location and they had been able to arrive on time.

_Flashback_

"_Everyone. Ore-sama expects you to wake up." Atobe's arrogant voice boomed throughout all the rooms. Gakuto groaned, holding his head. "What time is it, you peacock?" He muttered, looking at the clock. Then he exploded. "ATOBE! SERIOUSLY? FIVE?" _

_Unfortunately, some of them had been practicing until late at night and so they did not have much sleep. _

_Ryou shook his head, blinking a few times and rubbing his eyes. "Damn it Atobe, give it a rest, will you? I was training with Choutarou and only managed to sleep at like, what, 2?" He had gotten used to calling the tall junior by his first name since they worked on their serves together._

"_Shishido-san, will you be okay?" Said boy asked worriedly, his gentle voice slightly soothing the feelings of most of the rudely awakened regulars._

"_Yes, Choutarou, I'll be alright. What the heck are you doing so early in the morning?" _

_Yuushi sat up, muttering incoherent words under his breath. He might've even been cursing, for the tensai was never an early waker. His eyes narrowed down as he stood up, staggering over to the grand bathroom they had in their rooms. He supposed he could bow down to Atobe at least once in a while._

_Hiyoshi turned over in bed, trying to get a few more minutes of sleep but to no avail. _

"_Hiyoshi. I know you're awake." Atobe smirked._

"_Damn." He swore, rolling out of the king sized bed and shaking Taki's, his roommate, shoulders. "Yo. Haginosuke. Wake up." _

"_What time is it?" Taki mumbled. _

"_It's… 5:03."_

"_Am or Pm?"_

"_Am."_

"_What."_

"_Don't ask."_

"_Are."_

"_I said, don't ask!"_

"_We."_

_At this point, Hiyoshi rolled his eyes and opened the lights, blinding the boy._

"_What you be doing?" He shouted, shading his eyes from the bright light. "Too bright… Melting…" Taki slowly said, inching towards the bathroom. He playfully clung onto Hiyoshi's leg, who tried to shake him off._

"_Ya. Off."_

"_Fine. Cranky boy."_

"_What – "_

_Taki snickered, jumping into the bathroom and locking the door._

_Kabaji had been the only quiet one, getting up and ready with no complaints. Jiroh needed a bit more effort to wake up. _

_Fortunately, Ryou had his ways. He grabbed a bullhorn from the table and shouted, right in the sleepy boy's ear, "WAKEY-WAKEY! RISE AND SHINE, JIROH!" Which caused him to yelp, falling right off the bed._

"_Good."_

_He had been assigned to make sure everyone was either A) in the bathroom or B) going downstairs to eat. These days, Atobe has been serving them really good food so that was another reason as to why Gakuto even got out of bed in the first place._

_On the large table, there were exotic foods decorating every inch of it._

"_Are you trying to make us fat by forcing us to eat all of this?" Gakuto had shouted, though with delight in his eyes._

"_Ore-sama would rather nor pay if it's possible."_

"_Psh, knowing Ryoma, he'd eat all of this and ask for more." Ryou retorted, grabbing a piece of lobster onto his plate. Who ate lobsters for breakfast?_

"_And how do you know that?"_

"_It's cause we're awesome people."_

"_Yeah." The red-head snorted, reaching over to snatch a fairly large slice of ice cream cake. "Deng this is good!" He sighed happily, letting the creamy, smooth substance melt in his mouth, allowing him to savor the entire thing with the extra tint of chocolate added in. _

_By the time they were done, Atobe had not gone down yet. _

"_Is he seriously still bathing in that bathtub of rose petals?" Taki asked._

_Yuushi glanced up, staying silent for a while then confirming his guess."Still in there."_

_It was only 6:48, so they decided to burn off all the unhealthy fat and calories by playing a few matches._

_{I'm not gonna describe those. Sorry!} _

"_Where is everybody?" Atobe had casually strolled down in a bathrobe, smelling like ripe fruits. "Ah, the essence of Ore-sama's delightful aroma soothes him despite the troubles he will be going through today." He closed his eyes, breathing into to let the cologne waft into his nose._

"_Ugh, Atobe, what's with the smell?" Gakuto wrinkled his nose in disgust._

"_It is not one you should be disgusted about." He replied, eyes still closed._

"_Yeah, sure. Next time, make sure to be on time, though." The other shrugged carelessly. As he walked by Atobe, he whispered, "It's 8:39."_

_That made his eyes snap open in shock, and he whipped out his phone, dialing a number. _

"_Hello? Yes. Ore-sama wants a magnificent breakfast delivered to him – yes." Then he hung up. "Let's go." He declared, going into the wardrobe that had been so conveniently placed right in front of him._

_Five minutes later, he walked out, fully dressed in the grandest brands from head to toe. _

"_Now let's go."_

Ryou sighed at the memory, but brightened up considerably when he heard her shout.

"Oi!" She called, running towards them. He cocked his head slightly, assessing her outfit.

"Mismatching." He muttered to her when she caught up.

Ryoma smirked. "I'm not someone who cares about my looks. And besides, the sweater is something he gave me the last time we went to an amusement park together, so…"

"Who's he?"

"Someone."

"Huh."

"Bento?" She offered, lifting the bag.

"Sure."

"Later."

"Let's go, awesome epic buddy!" They said in unison, linking arms and taking large steps. Of course, since Ryoma was a lot smaller and shorter, she had to run a bit but he slowed down.

Atobe frowned. He looked at her, up and down and up again. She looked too… feminine to be male. Then again, he shouldn't really say that because Fuji and Yukimura are practically girls on the outside.

Oh well. He'll think about this later.

Gakuto gaped at them, then jumped onto Kabaji and shouted, "GO!"

He took off running, following the regular's orders as the others struggled to catch up. "Haha!" He grinned victoriously, blowing a raspberry at them.

"Kabaji."

"Usu." He stopped.

Gakuto sulked for Kabaji had gently placed him on the ground, refusing to run any longer because of Atobe.

"Party-pooper."

"Ore-sama is, by no means, a party-pooper."

"Guys. We lost them." Yuushi decided to speak up at this moment to inform them of their loss. "And I think we're lost." He looked at the unfamiliar surroundings.

While they were all busy walking, they had been following Kabaji who had been aimlessly meandering around the park, examining everything.

"Oh… Shit." Gakuto stared straight ahead.

***With Ryoma and Ryou***

"Say…"

"Echizen."

"Yeah?" She looked at him, inclining her head to a tilt.

"Why are you pretending to be male?"

"Oh, that?"

"Yes, that."

"It's a secret."

"You know I'll find out someday."

"I know."

"… Stubborn brat."

"And that's why we're best friends, right?" She grinned cockily at him.

That's when he realized she was actually his ideal type for a girlfriend. The thought flew out the window when his face started to turn slightly red at the idea.

"Yo, Ryou, you're turning red."

"I know."

"Oddball."

"Shut it."

Then they both saw it.

Their faces shined with admiration and anticipation.

"Arcade?"

"Heck yeah!" They raced each other, not even bothering to worry about the others.

***Ooh. Akaya comes in. I just love him too much not to add him in. Oh yes, any pairings you guys like? I'll make sure there are moments of those, because now, I'm mostly including some Silver Pair, Dirty Pair, Adorable Pair, RyoRyou, but I don't know if you want anything else. ^^***

Akaya sulked childishly. He had given up being all depressed for the time being, releasing all his frustrations by viciously attacking the arcade in the park he ended up in. Since it seemed like the place was crowded, he decided there were less chances of bumping into people he knew.

Though he guessed it would be alright if he saw Sakuno again. She had been one of the only ones who actually accepted him before getting to know him better.

"HAH! BEAT THAT!" He shouted at the screen as it read, "K-O."

"Well. That was easy." He then remarked, jamming his hands into his pockets to take another token out. "Ooh, racing? Fun." Akaya pushed his way through the lines of people, plopping into one of the seats and slipped the token into the slot, starting the game.

So… he was supposed to… help an injured person get to the hospital safely? Wow. Sounded like a piece of cake.

"Whatcha! There – ooh – yes!" He cheered as he swerved and avoided another car accident, successfully keeping the patient from losing more blood.

"WHOA!" Suddenly, a truck interrupted his winning streak and they crashed, causing all the passengers to, unfortunately, die.

"I was so close…!" Akaya groaned in desperation. "Again!" It was harder than he thought.

This time, it was a lot more difficult because the injury the patient carried already made him lose a lot of blood. He had to be extra careful.

So absorbed in playing he was that he did not notice the crowd forming not too far away, being amazed by another couple's amazing flexibility and gracefulness while playing Dance Dance Revolution.

The male with the gray sweater had been using his hands AND feet, curving this way and that to hit the correct place in a certain amount of time.

The other one with a blue cap had been practically break -dancing across the floor, though his hands really never left the stage.

"Who're they?"

"Did you see that move? It was awesome!"

"Did they seriously start at the hardest levels?"

"Look at the break-dancing dude!"

"What about the sweater one?"

"Show off." Ryoma whispered to Ryou, who had been smirking triumphantly with all the compliments being thrown at him.

"Let mem have my moment of fame." He replied, purposely making his dance more intense just to show off, annoying her on purpose. He went on his hands, making sure they were still able to move from each arrow to another while spinning in place.

"Whoooaa!"

"Psh." She went back to concentrating on the game, though her limbs were getting a bit tired from all the movements.

Luckily, it was ending pretty quickly but the crowd has yet to be dispersed.

Akaya tore his eyes away from the screen when he knew death was inevitable, and noticed the place to be silent. "Where is everybody?" He asked. A few minutes ago, there were people everywhere.

He heard a cheer and screams of encouragement, and dragged his feet to the spot. They were slightly asleep from being in the same position for so long.

When he saw them, though, his eye shined with admiration. "Whoa." He breathed, amazed by the scene. Then he recognized one of them.

"Hey, aren't you Shishido Ryou from Hyoutei?" He called out, causing said boy to stop and stand up, soaked with sweat.

Ryou wiped his forehead with his arm, taking off his cap to fan himself.

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"You are?"

"Yo. Ryou. You stopped. I won." Ryoma smirked, stopping herself and stretching, interrupting Akaya from his introduction.

He glared at her a bit, then turned back to Ryou. "Kirihara Akaya desu! Yoroshiku onegaisimasu!" {Please take care of me from now on, I think, or treat me kindly.}

"Hehh? Second year?"

"Hai!"

"Pretty eager now, aren't you? To an enemy school? What are you doing without your team?"

His face saddened a bit. "They're doing fine without me."

"Really, now?" Ryou asked. Suddenly, an idea formed in his head. He glanced at Ryoma, who nodded and smirked in return. She leaped over, linking arms with Ryou once more.

"Join us." They said together, smiling eerily.

He shuddered, but, hey, since he had nothing else to do, why not?

"You people. Shoo." She leaned back against the wall, looking all cool and glaring so they would hurry along their merry way.

"Oi, oi, can't call him by his first name." Ryou muttered to her. She looked at him, smirking. "Jealous? Do you want to be the only one I call by name instead of last?"

He scrunched his face up in displeasure. "As if."

"Ha, Ryou's jealous. I should write something about that." She rocked forward, circling Akaya as if examining him. "School?"

"Rikkaidai."

"Hehh… Tell me about the regulars, would you?"

"No."

"Strange."

Their conversation promptly ended as Ryou grabbed their wrists, dragging them outside. "Now. Which ride next?"

***With the others**

Kabaji looked around, trying to see where the others could be. Jiroh remained on his shoulder, sleeping like a rock and refusing to budge. Atobe was right behind him, holding his head with a hand as he muttered a few random words. Kabaji didn't bother to decipher them.

Yuushi and Gakuto were off on a roller coaster, and Taki and Hiyoshi were most probably on the Ferris Wheel. Despite the time being early, they always had a knack for seeing the view beforehand. Who knows, maybe love will bloom on the cart.

Back to the matter at hand. Atobe twitched in annoyance. Not only do they need to find Ryou and Ryoma, they also need to find Taki, Yuushi, Gakuto, Choutarou, and Hiyoshi, as well. Choutarou had seen something really pretty and wanted it for his dear 'Shishido-san,' so he had just wandered out of the group.

"Kabaji."

"Usu."

"Any ideas?"

"No."

"Wake Jiroh."

"Usu."

Kabaji let the boy slide off his shoulder, making him land on the floor and wake up with a jolt. "Whoa! Where are we?" Jiroh yawned, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "I shtill want to shweep, KeiKei." He tried, using the large, watery and hopeful eyes on him.

Atobe sighed. "No, Jiroh. Ore-sama will not fall for such tricks."

"Aw." He pouted, then started looking around and sniffing the air. "I smell… Food!" Jiroh grinned, bouncing off in a particular direction.

The two dashed after him, not wanting to add another person to their 'To Find' list.

"Wait! Jiroh!"

"NO WAITING! FOOD IS WAITING~!" He shouted back in response, twisting his neck to get a clear look of everything before going off once again.

***Uh-oh. I think I made this chapter a bit too long and each part irrelevant to the other.***

Tezuka rubbed his temples in frustration. Nothing has been going his way these ways, and it seems as if he's always being humiliated. It's most definitely hurting his reputation.

Then again, with all the fans he earned from the previous incident with the cat, it seems as if his reputation is not being threatened at all.

Even so, Eiji and Momo can't stop snickering about it. He should really make them run laps, shouldn't he? Especially now, when they're talking about it rather loudly.

"Haha, remember the look ion Tezuka-buchou's face?" Momo grinned, walking side by side with his childish senpai.

"Yeah, nya! And how he kept trying to remain calm and composed even though it was obvious he was gonna explode!" Eiji giggled, an exaggerated expression plastered on his face.

"I know, right? Inui-senpai should've really taken a picture or recorded it." He replied. Suddenly, they felt a dark presence behind them. They looked back just to see a grinning dataman lifting up his glasses.

"In fact, Momoshiro. I did."

"WHOA! SERIOUSLY?" Eiji exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

A darker presence could be sensed.

The two who were more afraid of this man than the other slowly turned around, trembling with fear.

"T-Tezuka-buchou…" They said in unison.

"Saa…Eiji, Momoshiro, 100 laps around the court grounds. Now." He commanded in a very Fuji-like way. Inside, Chibi Tezuka was cackling rather evilly. 'Hmm. Perhaps his sadisticness is rubbing off on me.' He mused, watching them pant and sweat with hidden pleasure. 'Payback actually feels nice sometimes.'

Unfortunately for the content captain, irritation would follow up this blissful feeling, for he had spaced out, recollecting memories of how Ryoma was at their first meeting.

_PAK!_

A tennis ball flew right into his forehead as lifted his head, having set it down while thinking.

He twitched.

What a month.

"Who did that?" He growled darkly, standing up and rubbing the big, red circular spot that had made itself clear and plain amongst his rather pale complexion.

Momo and Eiji had stopped running, carefully watching Inui to see if he was keeping record of this moment.

"Hm. Third time Tezuka was humiliated, being thrown off his guard. I believe it is necessary to start a volume about such happenings." Inui grinned. "Seeing the rate of accidents concerning Tezuka's reputation, it is probable there will be at least 3 more to come for the following month."

"Inui.

"I'll start running."

"You'd better."

Inui smirked. "My calculations were, once again, correct, for Tezuka had planned for me to run the same number of laps as Eiji and Momoshiro. We had done similar crimes to him, if mine was not worse, and so it would be obvious he would assign me precisely 102.43 laps around the court. That would roughly equal up to 102 laps, and so it would take me approximately 2 hours to complete three quarters of it. If I start now, I will be able to finish it by…" Inui paused from his mumble to take a glance at his watch.

"Hm. 4:23, maybe? However, if I continue to dawdle around like this, it would take me a few more minutes or perhaps even an hour if I take my stamina and the heat of the sun into consideration." With that as his final statement, he promptly closed his notebook with a sharp slapping sound so no living soul can take a peek at his precious data. Then he took off.

Tezuka sighed. All those words that had come out of his mouth made his head feel a bit dizzy. He decided to go into the locker room to calm down a bit and regain himself.

Meanwhile, Eiji and Momoshiro had gotten themselves busy by gossiping some more about how amusing things were, especially since Tezuka is involved and his usual serious poker face was broken all those times.

"Do you think there will be a lot more accidents like these?" Eiji whispered over to Momo.

"Probably. I wonder why they're happening, though!" He whispered back, then felt a chill run down his spine. "I think Inui-senpai is right behind us."

Sure enough, they heard a chuckle. "That's right, Momoshiro. And I advise you two not to talk right in front of me because it is not a wise choice. I can easily remember and write down every single word you say, then show them to Tezuka."

Eiji put on a mock-horror expression. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh I would, Eiji, and you know I would." 

"… Of course, nya. You would because it's data!" He pointed at him accursedly, running backwards. It was not a wise choice to make.

That 'accursed' cat had been lurking around again, and Eiji didn't see her. Obviously, that made him trip and land flat on his butt.

"Waaa!" He cried out, fake tears pouring down his face. "Momo-chin, help me up!" He pouted, extending his arms.

"Pft-!" Momo stifled a laugh, refusing to help his senpai when he's in such a position and continued running as if nothing happened.

Tezuka, who wanted to advise some of the non-regulars in ways to improve their play, saw how Eiji had stopped running and raised an eyebrow.

"Eiji. Who gave you permission to stop running?"

Mentioned person paled considerably, scrambling up on his feet once again. He saluted, stuttering over his own words while he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse.

"Nya! Uhm… That is… Oh yeah! You see, Momo had… Oh wait, that's not it. Inui – that's not it, either! Mou!" Then he snapped. "That cat! Remember the cat that really liked your head? Yeah? Well she had suddenly appeared while I was running backwards so I fell and tripped, but Momo and Inui had not stopped to help me or anything, so I just stayed there for a little while and then you came out and saw me so – " Eiji stopped when he realized it was not such a great reason after all.

"Momoshiro. Inui. You may take a break for not pausing for such petty things."

"Eiji. Run." The more sadistic side of Tezuka took over.

"The rest of you! Don't tarry; get to work. If we want to win the Nationals, we need to train extra hard and make sure everybody is in top shape and can play."

"Hai!" They all responded at once as Eiji seemed shrink a bit from disappointment.

"Mou. Tezu-chin's so irritated these days." He muttered under his breath as he broke into a jog once more, hoping to finish all his laps before dusk arrives so he and Oishi will have time to visit the pet store.

"Nya-a! Oishi! C'mere!" He tried coaxing his best friend to help him out a bit, but unfortunately, he had been called to discuss a few things with Tezuka. So he resorted to the next most kind-hearted person – Taka-san!

"Taka-san, help me?" Eiji put on his best puppy dog face, putting in a twinkle of hope and make them large and watery just for the heck of it. He grew more hopeful as he saw Taka-san bite his lip as if to decide what to do.

Their captain had not been very happy these days, so it might be a grave mistake to help somebody who had helped in causing more mayhem and adding more pain to the migraine he had. But still, after looking at Eiji's face, he felt himself breaking away more and more.

Until a certain person slipped the racquet into his hand, of course. Things were different then.

"ORAAAAA! MOERUZE! BUURNNING! NOTHING YOU DO WILL CONVINCE ME, EIJI! BRING IT~!" He started shouting, eyes ablaze as he ran alongside Eiji with only the fence separating the two of them, taunting the other.

"Ha! Can't even handle a few laps, now can you, eh, Eiji?" He smirked provokingly. It gave the Neko motivation to speed up, as if to prove Taka-san how much he's worth by finishing all the laps as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, that plan didn't work. By the time he was on his 75th lap, there was a stitch biting at his sides that made running and breathing painful.

So instead, he took to walking as fast as could, so it would still be considered a jog.

Eiji frowned, scrunching up his face in displeasure. They were bullying and picking on him, weren't they? What was it, 'Vent out on Eiji Week?' First, Tezuka had made him and Momo run. Then, Inui joined them and almost made him have a heart attack.

And then, he tripped over that kitty and nobody stopped to help him.

And **then, **Tezuka just made him run again, letting the other two slack off a bit.

Unfair!

He sighed, staggering to finish his final lap. Finally!

Just one… More… step…!

"YES!" Eiji collapsed, cheering triumphantly.

"Eiji."

"Y-yes, Inui?"

"You still have 2 laps left."

"… What."

"Yes."

"NO WAY."

"Unfortunately for you, Tezuka has decided to assign another 2 laps and is most likely to add more if you continue protesting."

"But…! My sides! What if I get injured?"

"We're not that stupid. You're going to be fine."

"… Meanie heads."

"What was that? Oh. Eiji. Tezuka told you to add another lap to that."

"!" Eiji shouted, squishing his cheeks together and shouting to the sky.

He suddenly sat up, sweating and breathing heavily.

"Nande~? {Oh, what? Something like that} It was just a dream!" Eiji grinned, heart still thumping by the sheer horror of it.

What he didn't know was that he had fallen unconscious, and that what had happened was real.


End file.
